Chapter 10: The Prostitute and the Fisherman

"In years of great famine, people sell themselves as meat in the market, known as 'vegetable people'..."

Hearing the song, these were the first words that came to mind.

Only this time, it was accompanied by vivid, immersive imagery, scene after scene, clearly depicting a bloody reality.

This unreasonable indoctrination attempted to implant the frantic message of an apocalyptic purgatory into Li Yu’s soul.

For the first time, Li Yu heard the full "Song of the Vegetable People" and simultaneously felt the call from the "Forbidden God."

This evil god, which Jiao Qing and Sun Sanniang claimed could rival the six great orthodox gods, was currently forcing a massive amount of disgusting and horrifying sacrificial imagery into Li Yu’s mind, attempting to make him convert.

It even offered a few benefits in advance, before Li Yu had even presented any offerings.

For instance!

The next sequence of the Forbidden God path, Sequence 8 [Vegetable Person], vaguely burrowed into his soul.

Li Yu did not doubt that as long as he was willing to kneel before that sacrificial table, even if only to pray devoutly, he could immediately obtain the secret medicine formula for Sequence 7.

If he were willing to perform a sacrifice, the benefits would be even greater.

"This must be the miraculous grace that followers of evil gods dream of, right? Encountering it once is a great opportunity."

"Sequence 7, Blood Slave? Hah, I won't be anyone's slave."

With a cold sneer, Li Yu suddenly drew his bone-cleaving knife and hacked it directly into his own thigh.

The intense pain instantly pulled him out of that immense temptation and forced the stirring Forbidden Egg to repair his damaged body.

Taking this opportunity, he stepped back several paces, out of the line of sight, and instructed Hong Dou to go in and pack both items away, tucking them into the bottom of a chest to gather dust.

Li Yu, with a solemn expression, returned to the main room and took out paper and pen, intending to write his first extraordinary menu.

The corpse and filth storage room had been cleaned out, so he naturally had to continue advancing his spiritual cuisine business.

If other evil cultivators in Wanfu City had seen that scene just now, they would surely have cursed Li Yu for being clueless and wasting the evil god's grace.

If Jiao Qing and Sun Sanniang were alive, they would be even more devastated.

Kneeling to the Forbidden God could grant the secret medicine formula for Sequence 7 [Blood Slave], and sacrifices offered even more benefits.

Yet Li Yu had ignored such an opportunity.

One must know that even in the countless powerhouses of Wanfu City, a Sequence 7 transcendent was not weak; narrowed down to the Tianji Workshop area of the South District, it was enough to be a master among men.

But he, Li Yu, was unwilling.

"Transcendents of the Forbidden God path are all perverts addicted to cannibalism; I fear the higher the sequence, the more disgusting it gets."

"Even the original owner, a minor who had been kept in captivity since childhood, looked down on this stuff and committed suicide with great perseverance. Since I have taken his body, I cannot lose."

"The best strategy is to complete my plan as soon as possible, establish a firm footing, charge the Truth Bubble, gain more leverage, and find the God Path most suitable for me."

As these thoughts flashed by, Li Yu had already finished writing the menu.

He already had a copy of the "Forbidden God Cookbook" in his mind, and all he had to do was remove the dishes that required "humans" as ingredients.

This eliminated eighty percent of them, but fortunately, the remaining twenty percent were enough to make a menu of dozens of dishes.

Moreover, they were extraordinary.

Li Yu looked at the scribbled menu he had written by hand; each dish was thoughtfully annotated with its main ingredients, effects, and taste.

His stomach growled again, but this time, it was his own hunger.

Just the first few signature dishes he had carefully selected, combined with the illusions presented by the extraordinary cookbook, were enough to make the glutton in his belly scream.

"Human delicacies, world treasures, extraordinary feasts, virility-boosting, beauty-enhancing, body-tempering, life-extending... who could resist when these words are combined?"

"Jiao Qing and Sun Sanniang once mentioned that the Sequence 5 powerhouse of the Forbidden God path in the East District, [Old Demon Zhu Can], opened the Garuda Grand Restaurant, which is a must-visit place for gatherings and banquets for many high-sequence powerhouses in Wanfu City. The private menu, not open to the public, contains dishes that are each comparable to spiritual pills and medicines, and even have effects equivalent to low-sequence secret medicine formulas."

"I imagine that old demon possesses more than one Forbidden God cookbook."

When Li Yu muttered this, there was no trace of envy on his face, but rather disgust.

It was simple: from the contents of the ledger, he knew that fellow was one of the top perverted cannibals in the city.

Compared to him, the actions of Jiao Qing and Sun Sanniang were nothing.

"However, the pricing of my menu can be benchmarked against that Garuda Restaurant."

"Low-level or Sequence 8 transcendents who can't afford to consume at the high levels of that restaurant can eat at my private kitchen; how could they refuse?"

Thinking of this, Li Yu felt that the business he had thought of on a whim was already incredibly stable.

But how it would actually turn out still required him to push forward and confirm.

So he did not delay any longer, immediately stood up, and took the menu to go out and send invitations.

Before leaving, he casually instructed the mechanical maid Hong Dou:

"Clean the house, especially the kitchen area."

"Understood, Master."

Amidst the sweet fox-girl voice, Li Yu left home again to seek a living while courting danger.

That’s right, even the act of inviting diners was risky.

The reason?

Because those he intended to invite were not ordinary people, but rather bottom-tier evil cultivators who were mostly psychopathic or mentally unstable.

He was a newcomer with no social network of his own.

The first batch of diners could only be selected from the "neighbors" and "business partners" often mentioned by the original owner's parents.

How many good people could there be among those who hung out with Jiao Qing and Sun Sanniang?

Presumably, news of their deaths had already spread.

If Li Yu showed up to invite them at this juncture, there was no guarantee he wouldn't provoke a few perverts and cause a conflict.

For this reason, none of the first batch of targets he selected were genuine "Sequence 8" powerhouses; they were all bottom-tier evil cultivators.

Even if a fight really broke out, if he went all out to stimulate the Forbidden Egg to take over his body, his chances of winning would be much higher. At worst, he could imitate the original owner's self-mutilation afterward and turn himself into a human pig; painful as it would be, staying alive would not be difficult.

"I worked hard to change my profession to a cook, and I have to risk my life just to invite people to eat."

"This shitty world, this shitty era."

"Pah!"

When Li Yu finished complaining, he was already standing in front of a tofu stall on the old street.

Before him were several empty bamboo baskets with bits of tofu stuck in the corners, and the stall owner was nowhere to be seen.

It was currently the hour of Shen (3-5 PM), so it was reasonable for the tofu to be sold out.

But the unreasonable part was also obvious: from inside the half-hidden door behind the tofu stall came the moans that only men and women fighting on a bed would make.

One must know, it wasn't even night yet.

In broad daylight, on the main street, separated by only a door, this blatant?

Knowing they were busy inside, Li Yu naturally wouldn't ask for trouble by knocking on the door, nor did he intend to wait foolishly; he could guarantee that if he stayed for even a moment longer, the relevant rumors would spread throughout the old street by tonight. However, just as he was about to turn and look for the next candidate diner, a low roar suddenly came from behind the door, accompanied by rustling movements.

The next moment, the door swung wide open, and a thin figure was thrown out, appearing at Li Yu's feet like a rolling gourd.

The person was skin and bones, pale, and trembling all over, yet his face wore an expression of extreme pleasure.

After Li Yu took a look, he couldn't help but click his tongue.

Because he had seen this person when he closed the shop, and at that time, he had been a burly man full of fat.

In such a short time, he had lost at least two hundred pounds?

Even if he were to use his bone-cleaving knife to hack away, it would take a great deal of effort to hack off two hundred pounds of meat.

"How formidable!"

As Li Yu sighed in his heart, a soft and charming voice came from the door in front.

"Rest for three months to replenish your blood and Qi before coming to find me again, otherwise, what I collect will be your life."

"Next!"

=9+Shu_Ba

"Sister Cui, it's me, the one who inherited the Jiao family meat shop."

"I've come to find you this time not for pleasure, but to invite you to something good."

Seeing the woman in the doorway mistake him for another customer coming to risk his life for pleasure, Li Yu hurriedly spoke to clarify.

"Hmm?"

Amidst a gasp of surprise, the door opened again.

Accompanied by a thick fragrance that made one's blood surge and desires rise, a graceful figure slowly walked out and stood before Li Yu.

The woman was thinly clad, half-covering and half-revealing sensitive areas, with a slender waist, prominent breasts, charming makeup, and a pair of eyes that seemed to drip with desire.

Li Yu instantly understood why Sun Sanniang often spoke ill of this woman out of jealousy; her business was good, and it was reasonable.

Of course, precisely because he knew some of her background.

Li Yu did not take advantage of her at this moment, but instead lowered his gaze, trying his best to stabilize his soul and not let a single trace of desire overflow.

Information related to her surfaced in his mind:

"Cui Yuan!"

"A famous 'Tofu Beauty' on the old street of Tianji Workshop, who secretly runs a flesh trade. She doesn't accept any money or worldly goods; every transaction demands the essence, blood, and lifespan of her customers. Because she practices several evil arts of 'harvesting Yang to replenish Yin,' even the most vigorous and skilled men in bed cannot get the better of her and must obediently pay the price."

"Despite this, her customers are endless; it is rumored that once you go there, you will be captured by her until you are drained dry."

"Her age is unknown, the evil god she worships is unknown, and it is only known that she has not yet officially promoted to Sequence 8 and is still bottom-tier."

"If this woman were in the film and television works of my previous life, she would definitely be a female demon, but in this Wanfu City, she is already considered harmless, making her the first candidate diner."

Li Yu had many thoughts in his heart, but his hands were not slow.

Fully carrying out his dull and cold persona, he didn't wait for Cui Yuan to ask, but took the initiative to hand over the menu and then said stiffly:

"Sister Cui, I've closed the meat shop permanently; I've switched to a different business now."

"Jiao Qing and Sun Sanniang left me nothing else, only an extraordinary culinary skill and a cookbook from the gods."

"Tonight, my private kitchen opens for business for the first time; if Sister Cui is interested in coming, you may order now."

……

Upon seeing that it was Li Yu, Cui Yuan had initially intended to tease him.

But before she could speak, she was cut off abruptly; as she raised her eyes, she saw an extraordinary menu.

When she clearly saw the signature dishes that Li Yu had deliberately placed at the very top, the words of consideration and refusal were swallowed right back down.

"Nine-Treasure Yin Toad Soup!"

"With the Yin Toad as the main ingredient, supplemented by nine treasures, and then using the 'human-dish' culinary technique to extract the essence, it is a supreme Yin delicacy; consuming it brings a sense of pleasure equivalent to nine acts of intercourse, and it has the additional spiritual effect of nourishing Yin, lasting for three days."

"Puppy... kid, you aren't trying to pull my leg, are you? Do you actually have the ability to make such spiritual food?"

"I have never heard of Jiao Qing or Sun Sanniang knowing these things?"

"Those two penniless wretches went to the Garuda Grand Restaurant once and came back bragging for days; if they really had such skills, they would have long since applied to be head chefs and defected to that Zhu Can."

Cui Yuan read the contents of the menu in disbelief while voicing her skepticism.

Li Yu had been waiting for her to ask, and upon hearing this, he immediately replied:

"If those two had been able to consume me last night, they might have possessed these skills."

"Alas, the winner was me."

"Since I have provided the menu, I am naturally capable of making them."

"If Sister Cui has any doubts, you may order the dishes in advance without paying; come to my courtyard tonight, and it will be fine to settle the bill after you have eaten."

"Fine!"

Hearing Li Yu's candid answer, Cui Yuan immediately believed him for the most part.

Not being coy, she scanned the menu carefully and ordered directly:

"Then let's have the Nine-Treasure Yin Toad Soup, Ghost Clam Sashimi, and Peach Gum Stewed Jade Rabbit—these three dishes... for a total price of one hundred taels of silver?"

"Tsk tsk, you really are bold; do you know that even on the second floor of the Garuda Restaurant, ordering three dishes doesn't cost that much silver."

"My culinary skills and recipes can barely touch the floor of the third level; Sister Cui will know just how delicious and worthwhile it is after eating tonight."

Hearing Li Yu say this, Cui Yuan had nothing more to say.

It was absurd to spend one hundred taels of silver on a meal, but if one were eating "spiritual food," that was a different matter entirely.

Let alone in the chaotic and oppressive Wanfu City, even in the peaceful and prosperous kingdoms of Gan, Jing, and Li, spiritual food was still a luxury item, and there was almost no upper limit to how expensive it could get.

Seeing that she had accepted, Li Yu took a charcoal pencil and placed a checkmark after those three dishes.

He quickly bid farewell to Cui Yuan, who wanted to drag him into her room for pleasure, and turned to head toward the next prospective diner.

A few breaths later, Li Yu's figure appeared again in front of a foul-smelling fish stall on the old street.

Because of the hour, there were no customers at this stall, only wooden basins filled with foul water.

The stall owner was a middle-aged man, ugly and slovenly, with fish-scale moles covering his entire body; he was currently holding a fishing rod, teasing the contents of the wooden basin in front of him, where seven or eight strange fish of varying sizes were swimming.

The reason they were called "strange" was because Li Yu saw it clearly.

The head of every single fish was deformed, and faintly, they looked somewhat like human faces?

Every time he flicked the fishing hook, these fish would emit sounds similar to the cries of infants, scattering and fleeing in fear of being hooked.

This sight amused the stall owner, who burst into loud laughter.

As Li Yu watched, relevant memories surfaced in his mind once again:

"Sikong Nian, whose public identity is a fisherman, but who actually engages in murder and robbery, often dragging people into the water to drown."

"Because of the evil arts he cultivates, his combat power in the water is extremely strong; he can salvage strange and rare objects from the water, and he seems to possess an evil technique that can smelt human souls together with fish and shrimp."

"He worships a certain evil god related to water, his path is unknown, and he is currently attempting to advance to the Sequence 8 known as [Water Ghost]; the formula has long been gathered, but he has never dared to experience the water torture ritual, so he remains unranked."

……

(End of chapter)